A QUEEN’S Life Guard, crushed by debts including an
unpaid congestion charge fine, hanged himself with a ceremonial
bridle chain at his London barracks, a coroner’s inquest
was told yesterday.
Simon Wall, 36, a divorced father of two, had been due to
remarry and was in line for promotion, but killed himself when he
was told that bailiffs were due to collect more than £1,000
from him.
The congestion charge fine and two parking tickets, which
originally amounted to £120, had increased to a four-figure
sum including bailiffs’ charges.
On April 20 he received a final demand saying that bailiffs
were ready to seize property as payment.
In the early hours of the next day, he was found by a fellow
soldier hanged from the beam in his office in Hyde Park Barracks,
with a stool knocked over on the floor.
Westminster Coroner’s Court was told that the soldier, a
Corporal of Horse who had taken part in Trooping the Colour, had
been “laughing and joking” with colleagues earlier
that evening.
But, later, he sent a final loving message by text to his
fiancée, Lesley Peyton-Gilbert, and went alone to his
office where, at 3.30am the next day, he was found by Trooper
Noel Stubbs, who was on guard duty and noticed his troop leader’s
office was unlocked.
Police subsequently uncovered his financial concerns, which
also included a £600 overdraft, a frozen credit card
account and a series of bank loans which left him with no ready
cash.
Corporal Wall, known to his men as Max, had spoken earlier to
Lance Sergeant Michael Endersby, of the Household Cavalry, asking
if he could change his next-of-kin details and his will.
Trooper Stubbs told the court: “Because I was looking
down as I pushed the door open, the first thing I saw was a stool
lying across the floor.
“Then, as I looked up, I could see Corporal Wall hanging
from a bridle chain which is part of our ceremonial horse’s
kit.”
Earlier that evening, after a long day tending to horses with
colleagues, Corporal Wall and a group of friends had gone for a
drink in the mess bar, where they watched the European Cup
semi-final football match between Monaco and Chelsea.
When the group decided to go on to Cheers bar in the West End,
Corporal Wall, who had also attended Queen Elizabeth the Queen
Mother’s coffin when it was taken to lie in state at
Westminster Hall, stayed behind but gave no hint that anything
was amiss.
Paul Smith, a fellow soldier, said: “We got ready to go
out and he said he was going to wait for a phone call and would
meet us later.”
When he failed to arrive, Trooper Smith told the court: “We
just thought he was being wet and a bit of an old man.”
The court heard that Corporal Wall had been “very keen”
on his life in the Household Cavalry, to which he had returned
two years ago after tours of duty in Bosnia with the Tank
Regiment.
Acting Inspector Paul Blanchflower, the investigating police
officer, spoke of “three trivial” fines which
appeared to have motivated Corporal Wall’s suicide.
Parking fines issued last year in London and York, together
with the congestion charge fine, had risen to more than £1,000,
including administrative and bailiff’s charges.
Dr Paul Knapman, the Westminster Coroner, recorded a verdict
of suicide and said: “It is concerning that two minor
parking fines and a non-payment of a congestion charge should
escalate to over £1,000.
“I believe that Simon Wall had embarked on a course of
action because of perceived pressures upon him, and my verdict is
that he killed himself.”
The soldier’s parents and fiancée attended the
hearing but did not comment.
The cost of the congestion charge is £5 a day, if it is
paid by 10pm. If it is not paid by 10pm, it is raised to £10
from 10pm until midnight. After midnight, computer checks are
made on the vehicle registration numbers that have been recorded
on camera against those that are registered as having paid the
charge. Any driver who has not paid is liable to a £40 fine
for the first 14 days, which rises after that to £80 for up
to 28 days. After 28 days, it is increased to £120.
If the fine remains unpaid, Transport for London will seek a
county court judgment. Armed with this, it calls in the bailiffs
it employs to recover the £120. Bailiff charges include the
time spent, number of visits made and the distance involved.
HOW MINOR PENALTIES ADD UP TO MAJOR DEBT
Parking fines vary from town to town. A penalty in London is
£60 to £80, but is halved if paid within 14 days. If
unpaid for 28 days, the fine is increased to £120. If it
stays unpaid it is registered as a debt in the county court, a
court fee is added and a notice of debt registration is sent. If
it remains outstanding the court will issue a warrant and
bailiffs will be authorised to recover the debt from the
offender. Again, the bailiffs will charge extra for this.
